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Imperial Patriotic League
The Imperial Patriotic League is a minor political party in the Imperial Lands of Kalopia, notable for its vocal pro-Kalopian nationalist and imperialist stances. Founded in 2779, by the influential Ballantyne aristocratic family, the Patriotic League has a small, but rapidly expanding, member base of Kalopian subjects growing more and more unconfident in the Quasi-Libertarian Party's continued mismanagement of the national government. =Ideology= The Imperial Patriotic League is first and foremost a Kalopian nationalist movement, in that it unreservedly advocates a pride in Kalopian Hellenistic culture and cultural institutions and a support for Hellenistic communities around the world. It is secondly an Imperialist party in two senses: first in its desire to restore and expand Kalopian hegemony throughout the world, and second in its belief in once again installing a monarch on the throne, to lead the Kalopian nation to glory. Beyond these two founding principles, the Patriotic League has demonstrated a tendancy towards a centralized Kalopian bureacracy and small, responsible government. The League has, throughout its history, been a staunch supporter of progressive morals and permissive civil rights, and maintained a belief in laissez-faire economics. =History= The Imperial Patriotic League was founded as a Kalopian nationalist group in early 2779 by General Sir Penrod Ballantynos, a well-established aristocrat of ethnic Hellenistic Kalopian heritage, and a small coalition of other Kalopian aristocrats and military officers. Sir Penrod, a distinguished officer of the Kalopian Army, originally formed the organization as a political pressure group, in response to what he viewed as the crippling effect that the Quasi-Libertarian Party had on Kalopia as a nation. The Quasi-Libertarian Party, had turned the Imperial Lands of Kalopia into a one-party dictatorship, which they ruled with an iron fist, in the stead of a legitimate Kalopian monarch and properly representative Koinboulio. Furthermore, in the General's eyes, the Quasi-Libertarian Party was not only corrupt throughout, but was institutionally attempting to rid Kalopia of its own culture, in favor of that of Wantuni settlers, as well as weakening Kalopia's power abroad. In its early days, the League was intended only to alert Quasi-Libertarian politicians of the growing dissatisfaction with their policies across the nation, but within months the decision was made that pressure from the outside would not be enough to sway the Quasi-Libertarians to take the organization's ideals seriously. Under the guidance of General Ballantynos, the Imperial Patriotic League made the choice to begin running in the December 2779 elections. Garnering a total of 173,543 votes, the Imperial Patriots were able to squeeze out just 0.06 % of the vote, which did not entitle them to a single seat in the Koinboulio. Penrod Ballantynos himself stood for the position of Grand Secretariat, the office of the Head of State, considered illegitimate by the IPL due to its replacement of the monarchy, but was defeated in a landslide. Though they had begun to build a base, the Imperial Patriots were soundly defeated, which they attributed to their late entry into the elections, lack of exposure to mainstream Kalopia, and voter intimidation by the Quasi-Libertarians. The next eight years were largely unsuccessful, with no improvement in either the 2783 or 2787 Koinboulio elections, due to, according to the Imperial Patriots, further intimidation of pro-IPL voters, a vast misinformation propaganda campaign by the Quasi-Libertarian dominated media, and full-out election fraud. However, votes in the election for the position of Grand Secretariat progressively moved towards General Ballantynos, in favor of Grand Secretariat Drog, the public face of the Quasi-Libertarian Party. Consumed with frustration and shame over his seeming inability to lead his nation out of the darkness, General Ballantynos committed ritual suicide, shooting himself in the head with a pistol. At this point, his younger brother, Nikolaos Ballantynos stepped forth to carry the torch and was selected to by the new Chairman of the Imperial Patriotic League. Under the leadership of the younger Ballantynos, the Imperial Patritotic League began a campaign to attract light in the mainstream media. In addition to distributing their own media outlets, staging a number of demonstrations, and working to appeal to the youth, the Imperial Patriotic League began submitting its own laws to the Koinboulio, leaving the mainstream media with no choice but to pay attention to them. =Affiliated Organizations= Hoplite Magazine: The official magazine of the Imperial Patriotic League, Hoplite is a monthly publication with a circulation of several thousand readers and a full-time staff of twelve. The magazine frequently discusses a broad range of topics including art, culture, economics, music, sports, defense, foreign affairs, and law, but is most notable for its coverage of Kalopia's national politics. Taking a view in line with the ideals of the Imperial Patriotic League, the magazine frequently features editorial articles by high-ranking members of the Imperial Patriotic League and interviews with nationalist-leaning politicians, celebrities, businessmen, and other public figures. Hoplite has traditionally been considered the intellectual hub of the Kalopian Nationalist movement and, as such, has gained respect throughout nationalist circles, as well as in mainstream journalism. Currently, the magazine is run by an editor-in-chief, Leon Kanaris, who is also a member of the Patriotic League's shadow cabinet for Environment and Tourism. Sacred Phalanx: The Sacred Phalanx is a Kalopian nationalist paramilitary organization that has, in the past, been called the armed wing of the Imperial Patriotic League. Lead by General Thanasis Rigas, a former Kalopian Army officer and the Patriotic League's candidate for the Ministry of Defence, the Sacred Phalanx currently consists of roughly one hundred members. Though its critics have accused the Phalanx of taking part in, or planning, several minor terrorist attacks around the world, the Phalanx denies such claims and states that its primary purpose is to serve as security for high-ranked members of the Patriotic League and for IPL-sponsored events. The 100 or so volunteers that comprise the Phalanx are divided into five 20-man Platoons spread across the nation. Typically speaking, Sacred Phalanx platoons are armed with outdated infantry equipment purchased at military surplus stores, hunting rifles, and four or five armed technicals, converted from pick-up trucks or other civilian automobiles. Young Patriot Corps: An organization for children and adolescents run through the Imperial Patriotic League. The Corps' stated aims are to support the mental, physical, spiritual, and political development of young Kalopians, in order to allow them to play constructive roles in Kalopian society. The Young Patriot Corps believes in developing well-rounded citizens and bases its curriculum around the five aspects of outdoorsmanship, sports, academics, self-defense, and vocational skills. Throughout all of these areas, the celebration of Kalopian heritage and instruction of culture is a common thread. The Corps has occasionally come under fire for it's military-style drill and ceremony, uniforms, and organization, from critics who claim that it is a paramilitary organization intended to groom the Kalopian youth to be used as child soldiers. the Imperial Patriotic League has generally dismissed such claims as absurd and groundless. The Field Districts all report to the Commandant of the Young Patriot Corps, through his National Command Center at the headquarters of the Imperial Patriotic League. Each Field District is further divided into several geographically-based Batteries, which are in turn composed of a number of Patrols, each numbering no more than thirty members. Organizationally, the corps is split into six Field Districts: one covering each of the five Kalopian provinces, and a sixth for Kalopians abroad. COPKO: The Conference of Pan-Kalopian Organizations is an international Pan-Hellenic movement. Founded by Nikolaos Ballantyne in late 2788, COPKO was formed to promote dialogue between ethnic Kalopian organizations throughout the world. Currently, the only major organization in the party is the Imperial Patriotic League, but some minor parties from abroad, representing Kalopian interests do have semi-official status within the organization.